Air New Zealand – Singapore Airlines alliance takes off

The alliance between Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines takes flight in the early hours of tomorrow morning with the first return service between New Zealand and Singapore departing Auckland just after midnight.

5 January 2015

From tomorrow the Star Alliance carriers will each operate one daily return service between Auckland and Singapore. Singapore Airlines will also operate a daily return service between Christchurch and Singapore.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon says: “The operational launch of our alliance is an exciting way to kick off 2015, a year which will see us grow our long haul network. Our New Zealand – Singapore service is a key to our Pacific Rim strategy, providing our customers with not only a convenient direct service, but great connectivity to South East Asia and markets beyond.”

On the Auckland – Singapore route Air New Zealand will operate newly refurbished Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, while Singapore Airlines will operate the world’s largest aircraft, the Airbus A3801. Refurbished Boeing 777-200ERs will also be operated by Singapore Airlines on the Singapore - Christchurch route.

The launch of the alliance is exciting news for the airlines’ customers with Air New Zealand operating to Singapore for the first time in eight years and Singapore Airlines now operating the Airbus A380 on the route.

Through the alliance, the carriers aim to increase capacity between New Zealand and Singapore by up to 30% year-round over time, while delivering enhanced benefits to customers.

In addition to the increased capacity Air New Zealand’s customers can now enjoy codeshare connectivity to more than 50 additional destinations on the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir networks. In turn, Singapore Airlines is codesharing on a further 40 routes in the Air New Zealand network.

The first alliance service, Air New Zealand flight NZ88, is scheduled to depart Auckland bound for Singapore at 0045 on Tuesday 6 January.

Ends

Issued by Air New Zealand Public Affairs ph +64 21 747 320

1A380 services to be operated during the Northern Winter operating season, with 777-300ERs to be operated during Northern Summer.

About Star Alliance:

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. The integration of Avianca Brasil is currently in progress. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,316 airports in 192 countries.